The Best XDefiant Guns to Rack Up Wins and Dominate Matches
Whether you prefer up close firefights or picking people off from range.
XDefiant has a pretty decent selection of weapons available at launch and it can be hard to discern what is worth using — especially as the stats pages for all of them aren’t that detailed. To that end, we have put together a breakdown of our choices for the best guns in XDefiant that you should be using.
Thankfully, unlike other first-person shooters, which make up the vast majority of competitive shooters, XDefiant’s weapons have very little recoil overall. Most guns are easy to control, pick up, and use in matches. However, there are still one or two standouts in each weapon category, whether it be assault rifles, shotguns, or pistols - and some guns which require a little bit more finesse.
Below, you can find around half-a-dozen of the best guns in XDefiant across the game’s weapon categories.
While not super powerful, the ACR 6.8 is a fantastic automatic weapon compared to the other options in the assault rifle category.
ACR 6.8 (Assault Rifle)
Despite its dominance in most other shooters, the ACR in XDefiant actually isn’t as strong. However, if you are looking for an automatic assault rifle, it is by far the best option in the game. It has a fairly quick reload, good stability, and a decent range. You will want to switch out the iron sight for an optic, though, as there is a lot of visual bounce when aiming with the weapon.
The ACR is more of an all-around weapon that can be used in any playstyle, whether running-and-gunning, or picking people off from afar. The lack of recoil is by far its greatest strength, and that is what makes it so easy to use.
When it comes to attachments, you will want to try and boost its range, to increase its effective damage range at the same time. From a distance, it can feel weak at times. But, it’s still a solid option for new players and veteran shooter fans.
The M16A4’s damage, accuracy, and range is unmatched in the assault rifle category.
M16A4 (Assault Rifle)
Surprisingly, the first few assault rifles you get in XDefiant aren’t that great, but once you unlock the M16A4, you are sorted. It takes a bit more skill to use than the ACR 6.8, as it is a three-round burst rifle. This means you can’t just hold the trigger and hope for the best. You have to land well-placed shots.
But if you do, you can melt opponents, and even multiple of them in a handful of bursts thanks to its strong overall damage and potent upper body and headshot damage. It is best to use the M16A4 with other attachments to boost its range even more and give you a clearer line-of-sight, so throw on an optic as soon as you unlock one.
But if you play a bit slower and focus on targeting enemies coming down chokepoints, you can lock down entire pathways on the game’s maps.
The P90 is by far the best SMG, in a pretty strong weapon category.
P90 (SMG)
The game currently has a good selection of SMG options, but the P90 outshines all the other choices. The weapon has superior range to any other SMG and is like a laser with very little recoil. This allows you to pick people off from a distance with it effectively and still hold your own in gunfights at close range.
While it won’t dish damage as fast as the Vector or MP7 up close, it is still an SMG, so you aren’t going to struggle if someone is within a few meters of you. The huge magazine is also another plus compared to the other SMGs as it means you can rack up two, three, or even four or more eliminations in one life without needing to reload.
Given how often you switch between close range and medium-to-long range gunfights in XDefiant, the P90’s ability to do well at any range really helps it stand out from the competition.
AA-12 (Shotgun)
Normally, in multiplayer shooters, semi-automatic shotguns lose out to pump actions almost all of the time. However, that is not the case in XDefiant. The sheer pace of Ubisoft’s shooter means that you will almost always find yourself in close-quarters gunfights over a long-range altercation. This makes being able to pump out as much damage as quickly as possible invaluable. The AA12 is able to do just that.
With incredible firepower and a blisteringly fast fire rate, it can clear out entire rooms and mow down several enemies as you barge into a corridor or around a corner. Hip-firing and aiming the shotgun are effective, and you can easily rack up long killstreaks in objective-based game modes as you charge a Domination flag or point.
The one downside is that you will burn through ammo with it incredibly fast, so you may need to find some more or bring a trusty sidearm. Its reload is also slightly slower than other close-quarters weapons’ are. So, be sure to find a good spot or corner to pull off that reload.
But the AA12 is easily the best shotgun in the game right now, and it deserves a place on this list as it can hold its own against SMGs and LMGs up close.
The MK 20 SSR is flexible at almost any range thanks to its stability.
MK 20 SSR (Marksman Rifle)
Surprisingly, marksman rifles are fantastic weapons in the game, despite being such a fast-paced shooter. The ability to pick people off in one or two shots while firing quickly is useful in objective modes where you are guarding a point or looking down a sight line. The MK 20 SSR is the first one you unlock in the game, and it is of the fast-firing archetype.
Fantastic accuracy and the high rate-of-fire mean you can spam shots at a medium range, and even up close, annihilating almost every opponent in one or two shots to the body and head. The MK 20 SSR has good accuracy already, but if you have stable aim, the weapon becomes a laser beam and can give you an incredible K.D. ratio, as you are unlikely to end up dying too much as you won’t face too many enemies up close if you use the weapon right.
The SVD’s stopping power is practically unmatched by anything other than sniper rifles.
SVD (Marksman Rifle)
The SVD is the other marksman rifle in the game, and it is the high-damage, slower firing variant. However, it is just as good as the MK 20 SSR. The SVR has the ability to one-shot people with a headshot if you are playing as the Cleaner faction — due to their incendiary bullets.
The one downside is that it is a little clunkier to use than the MK 20 SSR. But it’s just as potent. When you find the right attachment combinations and use it in the same way, it can be just as deadly. Just be sure to have a good secondary weapon with the SVD, though, as you will need something more tuned for close-range combat.
The D50 outshines anything else in the pistol category right now.
D50 (Pistol)
By far, the best pistol in the game right now is the D50 — effectively, the Desert Eagle. It has the highest damage output in its weapon class, and its enhanced rate of fire makes it better than the 686 Magnum. The other pistols suffer from poor damage. It also retains the high mobility of other pistols.
So, there really isn’t much reason not to use it. It can wreck enemies in just a couple of body hits, and if your opponent has already been hit, then you can ruin them in one shot if you are lucky. It works well in a loadout with practically any weapon in the game, and the rest of the weapons on this list.
With even more weapons set to be added throughout the game’s seasons, you can expect this list to shift and update over the coming months!
